Roses
by therealladyearth
Summary: She was always alone. Until those two entered her life... Ib from Mary's POV, sorry for lame title.


**Hey, TRLE here! I'm posting a one-shot instead of updating, lol. Don't kill me if it sucks. Don't kill me if it's semi-OOC! Word count: 1,657**

**Disclaimer: Ib is awesomely not mine, I just felt like expanding my horizons.**

Mary had never really wanted to hurt anyone. She'd just been lonely, staring out the frame of her painting for endless years, wondering if she would ever be free like them. Those many curious faces of people who were staring at her, as if she were a display.

Was she? She gripped her rose tighter.

"Hey, talk with me?" She called out to a little boy and his parents. No one replied, just moving on to the next painting.

It was lonely in the alternate art gallery, no one but dead structures, fake bodies.

Was she one of them?

Mary resolved to prove she had feelings by drawing. Her daddy had drawn, right? She couldn't remember properly as she drew. Dead dolls, mannequins, other paintings, and people that had looked at her intently.

She wished she could at least leave the alternate gallery, but it seemed her created world was only the art gallery. Sometimes, she'd claw desperately on the main doors, trying to get out. When it didn't work, she wrote in her diary.

After a while, she realized that only by having two others with her could she escape. One of them would be the painting instead of her, and she'd be free to explore. But how would the other two get in? Maybe by looking at the portal.

She waited for countless days, and was eventually put in a closet. The other sculptures and paintings got to be looked at, not her, because she was special.

"Don't cause trouble, Ib." A woman's voice sighed, from outside. It had been the longest time since Mary had woken in her life. She had never aged, never changed drastically. The only thing that had changed was her sanity.

"I won't!" A cute, young voice replied. That caught Mary's attention.

"Hey, come talk! I want a friend like you!" The painting called, seeing a young girl with brown hair and red eyes pass by. The girl didn't hear, just kept walking. Mary fell to her knees, wishing the girl had noticed her.

She didn't know how long she'd stayed there, until suddenly the lights flickered. Weird. And then, Mary gasped.

Another person was in her fabricated world. It would take her a while to reach them, though. So she began walking.

Mary giggled, making red, bloody footprints for the person to find. After waiting patiently, she heard two sets of footsteps coming towards her. She rushed at whoever it was when they entered.

Ah, it was that pretty brown haired girl!

"Ahh?!" The blonde shrieked, because they'd collided. Mary fell to the ground.

"Whoa, are you okay?!" The older boy asked.

"...!" Mary replied in shock. Two playthings for her. She made to run away.

"Ah! Wait!" He called, grabbing her arm. "Hey, are you... Could you be one of the visitors from the gallery?"

"Ah...!" She replied, feigning recognition.

"As I thought." He motioned for Ib to come beside him. "I'm Garry... And this girl is Ib."

"..." Mary was silent.

"We were in the art gallery," Garry continued, "but then somehow found ourselves lost in this place... So now we're both trying to find a way out. Presumably, you're doing the same?"

"I... I was looking to see if there was anyone else, too..." Mary replied truthfully. She always searched for someone else. "I wanted to get out... So I..."

"Ah, I knew it!" Garry smiled. "Well, would you like to come with us?"

"Huh...?"

"It's dangerous to be alone here. There are lots of strange creatures around. So, will you come with us? I think it would be best if we all stuck together."

"Yeah! I'll come...!"

"Then it's decided! Oh, what's your name?"

"Mary..." That was her name, right? The one her daddy had given her.

"Mary, then! Nice to meet you!"

"...Yeah!"

"Um... Nice to meet you, Ib..." Mary turned to the short girl.

"Nice to meet you too!" Ib replied, friendly.

"...Yeah!"

"All right!" Garry said suddenly, grinning. "Now that we have more company, we can proceed with our spirits high!"

"Yay!" Mary was excited, although part of her was sad to betray one of the two. They followed Ib, who walked calmly to a vase of water and placed her rose in it.

"Say... Seeing as how Ib and I both have roses... Mary, do you have a rose as well?"

"... Yeah, I do! A yellow rose!" She was grateful she had brought her fake rose.

Fake. As fake as her and her world.

"Ah, it's true! You two keep those safe! Don't lose it. And don't give it to anyone. And..."

"Wow, Ib's rose is reeed! My rose is yellooow!" Mary interrupted, smiling deceivingly. "I like yellow, but I also like pink! Oh, and blue!"

"... Learn to listen, would you?" He sighed.

Mary smiled as Ib kept going. She read the sign, stared at the painting, then they all entered a room. It was Mary's favourite room. She kept her blue dolls there, but Ib only saw bunny ornaments.

"... the love of... This painting, this room..." Garry muttered, the illusion not working on him. "Why must it be so unsettling?!"

"Huh? Really? I think it's kind of cute..." Mary replied. Of course they were cute, they were dying blue dolls.

"Wha...?!" Garry was shocked. Cute. "What about this is CUTE?!"

"I just think it is... What about Ib?"

Ib looked uncertain, then replied, "It's cute." Mary grinned, Ib was on her side. They left the room, to the Flowers of Jealousy.

"Huh...?" Mary played along, hearing the vines approaching. "That sound's... Getting closer..."

"?!" Garry shrieked, seeing the tips of the stone vines.

"Something came up from the ground!" She said it as if it weren't obvious.

The ground shook more.

"Th-This is bad! Get away from the painting!" Garry yelled, and Mary pulled Ib towards her.

After they separated unwillingly, the girls unlocked the Art Supplies room, in which Mary found a palette knife.

"Maybe this can cut those vines?"

"Let's try it!" Ib was desperate to get to Garry's side.

"Ahaha! I was just kidding!" The painting laughed. "You're not too good with jokes, are you, Ib? But I think I'll hold onto this..."

They made to leave, but the lights flickered off. Soon, they were back on, and a mannequin was in their way. The attempts to push it were futile, so they continued into the next room.

"I wonder what Garry's doing... We sort of left him..."

They soon saw the weird eyes board float down, and they crossed.

Mary started inquiring questions about the girl.

"Uh... Ib... If only two of us could get out of here... Than what?" Mary didn't want to be alone. "If it could only be two..."

"I'd surrender myself and let you two go home." Ib was kind.

"Wha! Really, Ib? But wouldn't you be lonely?" Not that Mary didn't want to leave, but she felt guilty.

"I guess so..." The two girls continued walking throughout the gallery. During that time, Mary forgot who she was completely. Until she heard those cursed lips murmuring her name. She froze.

"Mary, are you alright?" Ib asked, snapping the painting out of her musings.

"Mary? That's who I am, isn't it? Mary? Ohohoho. Ahahaha. HAHAHAHA!" And with that, she ran away, trying to escape the way they'd come. A stupid mannequin head was in her way.

"It's in my way... It's in my way..." She muttered, stabbing it repeatedly. But she heard Ib come in and leave at the sight of her. Mary stood up, following her. "Ib... What's wrong? Do you not like me? Why are you leaving?"

She started chasing the young brunette, wielding her palette knife. "TELL ME!" Before she could angrily hack at Ib, Garry burst up the stairs, grabbing her wrists and shoving her roughly to the ground. And it was black, for a few minutes.

When she woke up, she was alone. Pulling her knees to her chest, she sobbed quietly before preparing to find her friends. No, not friends, playthings.

Bursting into one of the houses in Sketchbook, she looked around a bit.

"Ib? Garry? Where are you?" She giggled insanely. If she had to, she'd kill both and leave. No one answered, so she frowned and hid near the Toybox.

Her efforts were useful, as the two entered after waiting for a few minutes. Smart Ib, decoding everything so quickly.

"I wonder if there really is a key in there?" Garry mused, neither seeing the bottom of the box.

"Wanna see?" Mary asked, pushing them in roughly, before hopping in after them. She giggled, heading to the exit, waiting for them.

However, her worrying began when they didn't show up. Heading back to the hall leading to her room and the exit, she realized her protective vines were burnt.

"Ib...? Garry...? What are you doing here? Get out!" She screamed, stomping hard and cracking the floor. She meant to kill them, but they reached her frame first. "Wait...! NOOOOO!"

Burning pain filled her senses as she burned, making a last, desperate leap to harm them...

* * *

Mary awoke in a field filled with roses, smelling like smoke. She sat up, looking around. There was no one else here, except for...

"Daddy?" She asked, voice cracking. He swept her up into a hug.

"My little Mary..." Her father, her painter, her creator replied. "I've been waiting."


End file.
